Booker was born on November 25, 1987 in Newberry, South Carolina to Gerald and Tracey, both accomplished athletes. He was brought up in a rural Whitmire neighborhood and grew up eating as many as 20 bowls of cereal each week, sharing the love with his brothers.[1] Booker began playing the game of basketball after his mother tried to get her sons into it by showing them her clippings as a high school player. His brother, Devin, said, "She got us into it when we were younger, and we have been ever since."[2]

Booker attended Union County High School in Union, South Carolina, and played basketball under head coach Joe Pitt. In his senior year in 2005–06, Booker was named Gatorade Player of the Year for South Carolina, after averaging 21.9 points, 16.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. He was also named AAA State Player of the Year and was a first-time All-State selection. Booker left the Union high school team as its all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots. Later on, Booker played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball with the South Carolina Celtics.[3]

Georgia Tech's Zach Peacock scuffled with Booker as a freshman before being ejected from the game.

On October 31, 2006, Booker made his collegiate debut with Clemson, recording six points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and three steals as starting power forward in an exhibition game against Lithuania Academy.[7] He was allowed 18 minutes on the court, and along with Sam Perry, led the team in rebounds.[8] Booker made his first regular season appearance with the Tigers on November 10, 2006, in the first round of the Cox Communications Classic against Arkansas State. After starting as center, he became the first true freshman to start in that position for Clemson since Tom Wideman in 1995-96. He finished the game with 6 points, a team-high 7 rebounds, and 1 block in 19 minutes of playing time.[9][10] On November 12, 2006, Booker grabbed a career-best 9 rebounds vs Old Dominion for the Cox Communications Classic title. He also contributed 10 points.[11][10] On November 17, 2006, Booker scored a career-high 15 points in 20 minutes against Appalachian State.[12][10] Booker recorded 11 rebounds on November 24 of the same year in a win over Charleston Southern. It was his first collegiate game with 10+ boards.[10] On December 31, 2006, he recorded his first career double-double, with 15 points and 12 rebounds on Georgia State. James Mays, one of his teammates, when asked about Booker's accomplishments, said, "What didn't he do?" Booker helped Clemson reach 14-0, their best start in 20 years.[13][10] On January 6, 2007, Booker had Georgia Tech freshman Zach Peacock ejected from the game after he hit him with an elbow.[14] On March 19, 2007, Booker scored a career-high 21 points against Ole Miss.[15] By the end of his freshman season, Booker averaged 10.4 points, a team-high 6.7 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks. He ranked fourth nationally among freshman in shots blocked.[16]

In his sophomore and junior seasons, Clemson had its first back-to-back NCAA appearances in nearly ten years. In Booker's junior year he led the ACC in rebounding (9.7 per game) and field goal percentage (.571), and finished second in blocked shots (2.0 per game).[17] For his efforts, Booker was named second-team All-ACC and was named to the 2009 All-Defensive Team.[18] On the National level, he was named USBWA All-District[19] and NABC second team All-District.[20] Following his junior year, Booker announced that he would return to Clemson for his senior year.[21] He spent the summer following his junior campaign playing for Team USA in the World University Games, helping the team win a bronze medal.

On August 4, 2011, Booker signed with Bnei Hasharon of Israel for the duration of the NBA lockout.[23] In October 2011, he returned to the United States due to a bruised right quadricep.[24] In December 2011, following the conclusion of the lockout, Booker returned to the Washington Wizards before appearing in a game for Bnei Hasharon.

On July 21, 2014, Booker signed with the Utah Jazz[25] to a reported two-year, $10 million contract.[26]

Booker has three younger brothers; Devin, Darrion and Jared. Devin also played college basketball for Clemson University and now plays professionally in Europe.[27] Darrion played college basketball for the University of West Alabama,[28] and Jared competes with the Union County High School basketball team.[29] Booker is also the cousin of Los Angeles Lakers center/forward Jordan Hill.[30]